Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani opened the 2024 season going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres to kick off the MLB schedule. Hours later, the face of Major League Baseball found himself involved in a scandal that has captured attention across the globe.
The saga began on March 20 when the Dodgers fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who was Ohtani’s longtime friend and interpreter since he began his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels. What followed was a series of headlines that started with Ohtani’s clamp claiming Mizhara committed ‘massive theft’ against Ohtani, taking $4.5 million from him to cover gambling debts.
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However, detailed reporting by ESPN’s Tisha Thompson revealed a much different story. In the days leading up to the story’s first breaking, Mizuhara had interviewed with ESPN for a story that was going to report Ohtani was paying off his interpreter’s gambling debts. However, the AL MVP’s campaign later refused that story hours before it was published, claiming Ohtani knew nothing of the gambling debts and the money was stolen.
Amid an ongoing MLB investigation launched on Friday by the league’s Department of Investigation, with the IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office also inquiring into Mizuhara and his illegal bookmaker, new details have emerged on the former MLB interpreter.
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Who is Ippei Mizhuara?
As first reported by Helen Jeong of NBC Los Angeles, inaccuracies have been found in Mizhuara’s public biography. Amid increased scrutiny of the former Dodgers and Angels staffer, further inquiries have found that despite his stating that he graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2007, the university has no records even showing that Mizuhara attended there.
“Our university records do not show a student by the name of Ippei Mizuhara having attended UC Riverside.”
UC Riverside spokesperson on Ippei Mizhuara (H/T The Athletic)
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Additional information listed in Mizuhara’s biography was also found to be inaccurate. As a member of the Angels, the interpreter’s profile said that he worked for the New York Mets in 2012 as an interpreter for Hideki Okajima. The biography also claimed that Mizuhara was Okajima’s interpreter in 2010 for the Boston Red Sox.
However, reporting found that Okajima failed a physical in February 2012 and he was released by the Yankees before spring training began. The Red Sox also released a statement this past week announcing that Mizhuara never worked for the organization.
“We are reaching out to all of you because of reports in various outlets stating that Ippei Mizuhara worked for the Red Sox as an interpreter, which is incorrect,” read a message from the club distributed to media members on Friday. “Mizuhara was never employed by the Boston Red Sox in any capacity and was not an interpreter for Hideki Okajima during the pitcher’s time with the team. Please know that we have thoroughly checked our files to ensure we are providing accurate information.”
Boston Red Sox statement on Ippei Mizuhara
Ohtani’s representatives are moving forward with a criminal complaint against Mizuhara for the alleged theft of $4.5 million and the Associated Press reported that the IRS has opened a criminal investigation into the former MLB interpreter. As for Ohtani, because he is not under investigation for violating the league’s joint domestic violence policy, he will be able to play during MLB’s investigation.
ESPN’s reporting and Ohtani’s representatives have both indicated that the Dodgers’ star has never been involved in gambling, but uncertainty remains on whether or not he knew about Mizuhara’s bets and how the multiple $500,000 wire transfers directly from Ohtani’s account were made without his consent.
